To Kill A Fox
by Mollydolly1996
Summary: How is Finch going to win the 74th Hunger Games when people can't even remember her name and instead refer to her as 'Foxface? Her short life in the Games wasn't peachy like Katniss had thought, there was fear and sadness for her too. This is a One-shot of Finch's side of the 74th Hunger Games


**I found this in my fanfic folder (yes I do have one) half finished so I quickly done the rest. This is kind of a mix between the movie and the book. Enjoy :)**

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It seemed to take forever for the countdown to end; a minute had never took so long before. As the seconds ticked by, my eyes went over the other tributes. The girl from twelve, Katniss, stood hunched forward and ready to run while her partner, Peeta, shook his head at her. Cato, the boy from two, stood ready to run with an evil smile stretched on his lips. The little girl, Rue, from district eleven looked terrified, her eyes looking round frantically.

The gong goes and I push my legs forward, towards the backpack which only a few feet in front of me. I reach my hand out, stooping down to get it while still running. I'm tackled from the right, knocked down and left shocked. I fit the urge to sit and look and instead push myself to my feet. The girl from ten stood holding the backpack, facing me with a dainty knife in her hands.

As she makes her way towards me, she's hit in her ribs by a crescent sword. I stumble back as blood dribbles out from between her lips. A dark skinned hand reaches out, grabbing the backpack from her. I look up into Thresh's face, knowing I'll be next. I might be a fast runner, but there was no getting away from him. He thrust the backpack into my hands before pushing me away and taking off.

I hesitate for a moment before turning and sprinting for the trees. I dodge another tribute, who lays on the ground dead, and jump over a log. I keep taking turns to put anyone who may be following me off. Colliding with someone, I quickly stand and face them. Katniss watches me, watching for me to make a move and kill her. I wait for her to do the same, my eyes scanning over her for weapons. The exchange only lasts for ten seconds before we make a silent agreement and run in different directions; leaving each other for another day.

The forest is like a maze, one with things that could reach out a grab you; kill you in different ways. The other tributes aren't the only threat in the arena, there's wild animals and natural causes. I could starve, dehydrate, get an infection. I could eat a poisoned berry, get eaten by a wild dog. Anything and everything was a threat in the games.

I stop and listen as the cannon starts to fire; one shot for every dead tribute. One... four... seven...ten. Ten tributes dead on the first day. One was the girl from ten. Another the boy from six, I remember him because I nearly tripped over his body.

I run for what seems like forever before finally giving in and sitting down. The suns moved, showing that at least an hour has past; careers may be out searching soon. My breath is laboured and I rest my head back against the tree, closing my eyes. My throat burns, my chest aches. Sweat drips down my forehead, making me move a hand to wipe it from my eyes. My chest still heaving, I push myself to my feet and start walking slowly; chanting to myself.

"Come on, Finch, District Five needs you" I whisper, urging myself onwards. "Find water, then you can rest. Keep strong, find water, sleep."

"I don't know how that will work out, Five" a voice says.

Gasping, I turn around. The District Three male stands there, breathing heavily with a large rock in his hands. He looks me up and down, probably thinking of the best way to get to me. I may not have a hard weapon that could easily injure or kill a person, but I have a useful weapon.

I crouch slightly, giving the impression that I was getting ready to fight him. Smirking, he crouches into the same position, his arms poised and ready. My eyes looked on his, I wait for him to make the first more. Slowly, as if I'm a wild animal, he steps towards me. I take a step back, showing a small amount of fear which is needed for my plan.

Chuckling darkly, he reaches into his back pocket. Bringing his hand back, he has small pointed object between his fingers; like the tip of a knife. Licking his lips, he makes a break towards me. Fighting my instincts, I remain standing as I am, waiting for him to get closer. Just as he reaches me, I dive to the right and start running.

It may be stupid but it was the only chance I'll get. I run in the direction I believe the Cornucopia to be, maybe I could drop Three off with the careers. I run, ducking under low branches and jumping over fallen logs. My breathing is worse than before, there's a ringing in my head and I feel dizzy.

Something shots past my head, clipping my ear and making me cry out. I lift my hand to my ear, my fingers squeezing at the small cut. I make a sharp left, running for a minute before changing right again, onto my original course.

There a sound of a twig snapping before laughter and a snarly comment. Its them, I didn't think I was so close... I see the face of the boy from one, Marvel, and he sees me. Smiling brightly, he points to me and starts laughing with glee. A mumbled curse sounds from behind me, the boy from three having seen the others.

"Two for the price of one" Marvel laughs, being pushed to the side from the District two boy. I dash to the side, running again just as Cato, the boy from two, starts running towards Three and me.

"Glimmer, get Five!" Cato orders.

"Wait, I can help you, I can protect the supplies, please, I can help!" Three pleads, his voice a rushed mess. "No!"

I glance behind me to see the blond girl from one following me. As she runs, she pulls the bow to the front of her chest, taking her arm out and loading an arrow. Searching within me, I put on one last burst of speed as an arrow goes by me, a foot to left of my body. Well, she's not going to kill anyone with those arrows.

Noticing a dent in the greenery to my right, I drift in that direction until I'm running at the top of a hill. There was some nettles which I could see, edible flowers too. Mostly it was just long grass with useless plants. I glance behind me, Glimmers not far now. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I throw myself to the right.

I clench my teeth as I roll down the hill, my arms brought up to protect my face. I feel the sting of nettles on my ankles as my trousers roll up some way. Small rocks jab into my back, causing little sparks of pain all over. After squishing about at least nine plants, I roll to a stop. I lay there, ignore the urge to get up and run away.

"Glimmer!" a female voice shouts.

"Glimmer!" Cato this time.

A canon sounds, showing another death has been delivered. The sound of laughter sounds from the top of the hill. "Over here, she's dead!"

"What happened, did you get her good?" the same girl from before asks, not afraid of the volume of her voice; she wants others to know their nearby.

"No, she killed herself" Glimmer replies with a snorted laugh. "Threw herself down the hill, probably broke her back or neck or something."

"Come on, lets go" Cato says, giving the orders again.

"Maybe I should go check she's dead, there's no hovercraft yet" the girl thinks allowed.

"Clove, I said lets go. She's down the bottom on a hill, the hovercraft would be pretty close to us to get the body. Anyway, the canon sounded; eleven dead, thirteen to go" he says and I could nearly _hear_ the smile in his voice. "We don't need the backpack, we've got plenty."

I lay still, waiting for silence before I start to count to one-hundred. Once I get there, and there's still no sounds, I push myself up into a sitting position. I let out a hiss as I catch a glimpse of my ankles, covered with red blotches and already beginning to itch.

With a huff, I let my eyes scan around me, looking for anything that could help. A quarter of the way up the hill, some leaves lay, the useful tips poking out of the grass. I push myself to my knees and start to crawl towards the leaves.

If there is any God, I thank him for my memory. I had studied the books on plants the Capitol had to offer, trying to remember as much as possible. This plant, the green leaf with the 'beetroot' spots - what's beetroot? -, could be used to treat tracker jacker stings and nettle stings. Halfway to the plant, I stop, taking deep breaths and closing my eyes.

After a small rest, I begin the journey again, fighting myself up the hill. I smile as I reach it, stretching out my hand to grab the leaves. I put them in my mouths, chewing them and rolling my tongue over them. As I do this, I make my way down the hill again on my bottom, the process of getting down much quicker than getting up.

Cupping my hand to my mouth, I spit the leaves out. I rub the chewed, moist, leaf paste onto my ankles, making sure everything blotch is covered. The relief is instant and I let out a pleasured sigh as the itchiness subsides, the intense heat cooling. I thought pleasure was eating sugar-dough rolls in the Capitol, I was wrong.

I open my eyes just in time to see a flash of movement in the trees before me. I hold my breath, my eye widening; again?! The tribute doesn't turn, doesn't see me. Slowly, I stand up and hobble after them; another stupid idea. I walk around fifty feet behind her, its the District Twelve girl, Katniss; the Volunteer. Though the careers had volunteered, they didn't do it out of love for their family. They did it for the glory, the fame. Katniss done it to protect her sister, something to be admired.

She knelt down, touching the ground. She stayed like that for a moment before quickly standing and hurrying off. Grunting, I struggle to keep up with her and nearly give up before she stops. Katniss falls to the floor, her hands going to her backpack to pull something out; a water bottle and some.. iodine. She's found water. Water!

I sneak around, circling the place where the water is. While Katniss puts the drips of the iodine into the bottle of water, I rush to hide behind a rock. The rock isn't only very close to the water, its also sixty feet from her. Its not that I don't trust her, I just don't want to create friendships which will soon be broken.

My back pressed the wall, I open my backpack. There's a sleeping bag, which I don't pull out, some crackers, beef strips, an empty bottle, iodine, some rope, matches and a pair of glasses. I fill the bottle, putting the required three drops of iodine in it. I set the bottle to the side, resisting the urge to drink it right away. I dip my hands in the water, bringing them up wet and rubbing them over my face and neck. It fills like the water fizzes out when it touches my skin because I'm so hot; its nice though and I get cooler every minute.

When the thirty minutes is up, well... I waited an hour to be sure, I drink the whole two litre bottle in what seems as a single gulp. I fill the bottle again, adding the iodine. I lean back against the rock, closing my eyes as I wait. As I listen, I hear Katniss get up, moving along on her way.

I wait until her footsteps have completely disappeared before getting up and heading back to the hill. Standing at the edge of the tree line, I look out to make sure that no other tribute is around. Hobbling with my still sore ankles, I make my way to the edible plants. Using my fingers, I dig them into the ground to pull the roots of the plants up; the juiciest part.

Once I'm settled in among the trees again, I look around for pieces of wood and large leaves. Upon finding them, I use the rope to tie the leaves and sticks together to make a small canopy cover. With the rest of my dry sticks, I put them under the cover and set them alight. Biting my lip, I sit and watch as the smoke begins to rise...

The smoke hits the leaves but billows out, not going into the sky. With a relieved sigh, I start to cook the plants which couldn't be eaten raw. I cooked as many as possible at one time, leaving them to cook for the minimal amount of time needed. Once they were cooked, I put the fire out. I untie the rope and put it back in my bag, throwing the leaves and twigs in different directions.

I walk along the stream, my eyes searching for a place to rest. I cross to the other side, walking over rocks and towards the trees. I hear a _plop_, making me spin around, my eyes wide and searching for danger. When I see nothing, I look down. A root which must have dropped from my bag was on the floor. I bent down, my hand reaching to pick it up which is when I saw it. The perfect place.

Grabbing the root, I crawl forward, grinning at what I find. Though there seemed to be only floor under the rock, there was a large hole. I slide down into in, nearly squealing with delight when I find it fits me perfectly. The large acts as a roof, covering me so I can't be seen from the top. The hole was deep, meaning I couldn't be seen unless someone else tried crawling under the rock, its perfect.

I pull myself out again, laying my sleeping bag in the hole before climbing back inside. I started to eat a root when the anthem started, the District names and a photo of the tribute will be up soon for The Fallen; and the careers will know I'm still alive. I'll be on their hit list again. I can see the Capitol symbol from where I lay, if I lean forward a little and lift my eyes.

The pictures of The Fallen are shown, their faces pacing by and their names flickers through my mind as I watch their pictures pass. It was useful to know the other tributes names, it was a way to intimidate them; you know them but they don't know you. The photo of my District partner, Zevid, shows and I can't help but feel a little upset. I'm the only chance for District five now.

The sky grows dark and I lay back down, finishing the root. The boy from three, Ryker, wasn't in the sky; he must be alive. Someone had died at the same time as I had '_died_'. I couldn't help but wonder who, and how, seems as the careers were chasing me and doing whatever to Ryker. Could they have left a member behind to kill someone?

Katniss wasn't one of The Fallen, neither was her partner. The star-crossed lovers live to see another day...maybe... the little girl from elven, Rue, is alive too. She's only twelve, one of the youngest in the games this years. I wonder how she's doing, how she's keeping herself alive and safe. The years I've been watching the games, I've never seen someone as small as her before.

I lay thinking, my eyes wide open and sleep unable to claim me as the night goes on. My mind races over possibilities, ways that I could be killed, ways I might have to kill others. Its another to send shivers through me, even if I feel warm in the sleeping bag.

Slowly, my eyelids start to feel heavy and I begin to drift but my eyes suddenly snap open. I sit up a little, looking out of my spot. In the trees opposite me, about ninety feet away, I could see a flash of orange light... someone's lit a fire, someone's condemned themselves to death.

It wasn't Katniss, she wasn't stupid enough to do something like that. It had to be another outer district though, someone who was desperate and stupid. I couldn't fall asleep now though, even though I tried. Slowly, as a few hours passed, I thought they had gotten away with it, was lucky enough for this one night.

"Look!" a voice says, slightly hushed but recognisable. Cato. "What an idiot."

"I love idiots" Clove sighs and I imagine her shaking her head with a smile.

Feet step onto the rock above me and fear pulses through me. Will the rock break and crush me, are they going to find me?! A pair of feet step onto the ground and I watch as they continue to walk towards the fire. Then another pair, then another... six pairs of feet land on the ground and walk towards the trees and the fire. I peek out a little to see them.

Three blonds, two male, one female. Glimmer and Cato. Second male, average to short, stocky build, messy hair, Peeta. Two dark hair girls, one shorter than the other. The short girl must me Clove, the taller the girl from four, Magneta. The other male, lanky but with a few muscles, Marvel.

What's Peeta doing with them? Since when has he been one of the careers, since when had they even wanted him? Why would they want him? Yes he's strong but so is Cato. But... but he knows Katniss, he has to, he's in love with her! He knows things about her none of us do. They may be little things but they could still be useful in the aid to find her. They're probably using him, as soon as they kill her, they'll kill him too.

I lay back down, biting my tongue and closing my eyes as they walk away. I listen closely, half expecting them to turn back and kill me. They keep going though, their footsteps becoming fainter. Slowly, my breathing evens out and I start to relax. I'm safe, for now. Just as my shoulder relaxed, a loud scream filled the quiet night; the sound distinctively female. My eyes flew open and I gripped the edge of the sleeping bag with fear. Seconds went by, minutes... then after about three minutes, the cannon went off. That was too long...

Her death was prolonged, probably dragged out for the show. Her family would have to watch her as her death came slowly, probably painfully. Its sick. Seventy-four years of this, seventy-four years of death and heartache. Will there ever be an end? Before these games, one-thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine people have died already. Add another twenty-three to that... then think about the rest of the games that are to come in the future; the rest of the children being sent to the slaughter house.

I wait half an hour, my ears alert and waiting for any sound. When I hear nothing during those thirty minutes, I begin to relax again. I let my mind drift as my eyes close, my breathing slowing. Slowly, I start to drift off, going into the world of sleep. The last thing I can think before the darkness takes over, is how happy I am that I don't snore.

Hiding behind a tree, I watch as the careers argue. Glimmer, Marvel and Magneta all want to go out hunting for tributes but Cato and Clove want to rest for a while; three seems to have no place in the discussion. He sits on a supply box, his chin resting on his hand, elbow propped up on his knee.

Where's Peeta? I look for the District twelve male, my eyebrows pulling down. Did they kill him while I was sleeping, if so, why didn't the cannon wake me? But no, there he's sits, very much alive. Peeta sits on the grass sixty feet away from the others, staring off into the trees.

"Why can't we just sleep for a couple of ours and then go out?" Clove asks, her voice raising. "We'll have a better chance of getting them, we'll be rested and they'll be tired."

"Clove's right, we'll wait an hour or two and then go out. We need rest if we're going to get them" Cato says, standing up and towering over the rest. He holds his sword tightly at his side, his eyes meeting Marvel's, Glimmer's and Magneta's one by one. "Anyone object?" None of them respond, just set their mouths is a hard line and look away. Cato turns to Peeta, folding his arms while still holding the sword. "Hey, Lover-boy, get some rest; we're going out soon. Three, keep watch."

Three tents are set up, all sitting under a shaded area thanks to some sticks a bit of cloth. Cato and Marvel go into one, Magneta, Clove and Glimmer in another and Peeta has the final one to himself. I don't blame him from wanting to be in a tent alone, the other tribute can't sit up and stand you in the chest in the middle of the night.

I look away from their small camp, instead focusing on why I really came here. The supplies are stacked up high into a pile with small mountains of dirt surrounding them. Why? I sit quietly, watching as three makes his way over to the pile. Instead of walking straight, he makes strange moves as if its a kind of dance. My eyebrows pull down in confusion, what's going on?

Grabbing an apple from a box, three dances his way back to his seat. What was that about? Surely he wouldn't do that ridiculous dance for no reason but what could the reason be? Why are they even keeping him alive? He did say he could protect the supplies, but how? Three... what does three know that I don't? District three work with technology. My District work with power. They use us in away, the things we collect and create.

Technology! Of course! The bombs under the pedestals. District three built the bombs for the arena, it only makes sense that Ryker knows how to use them to his advantage. Damn it, that's so clever. I move over to the side of the pile where I'll be hidden from three's view. I look at the ground, study the marks.

Feeling ridiculous, I step out from the trees and take my first step towards the pile. I jump, hop, leap, twist. It probably looks like I'm doing a crazy dance but it was worth it if it kept me alive. I could live down embarrassment, I can't live down death.

I lift a lid up, peaking inside and smiling at what I find. I reach my hand inside, grabbing the apples. I take two, one for each pocket on the outside of my coat. Watching how I go, I kneel down and open a bag; how useful. I take out the small knife, twisting it in my fingers. I could use it to cut the apple, to steady the eating pace. And, if I really have to, to protect myself. Going to another box, I take three strips of dried beef.

Turning around, I take a deep breath and ready myself for the journey back. Just relax, Finch, you've got this. I repeat my dance, twisting and twirling back to the safety of the trees. I do a little victory dance, grinning at myself for being brave and winning. I turn around, ready to make my way back to my hideout.

"That was clever" says the boy, no, man, in front of me. "Thanks for the hint."

Smiling at me, Thresh walks past me, not even making an attempt to kill me even though he has a crescent sword in his hand. I turn, watching him as he makes his way to the pile. Would he be able to make it across? I don't know but I don't wait to find out; if it does explode, it would be very loud and would kill my ears. I don't want that.

That's the second time Thresh has let me go when he could have easily killed me. Why, wouldn't it have just been easier to kill me? That's another tribute out of the way, been and gone. I don't spend too long pondering on it, he left me alive, why should I care?

I settle down into my spot, pulling my prizes from my pockets. I tuck one apple into my bag, keeping the other close. I cut it into quarters and eat one of the slices, putting the rest away. I take a few small sips of my water, only to notice it was empty when I pulled it away from my mouth. Great.

I push my head out from my spot, looking around to make sure no one's around. I pull myself out, jog the few steps to the river, fill my bottle and run back. I take deep breaths as I settle back down. I add the iodine before storing the bottle into my bag and laying down.

My heart still racing, I close my eyes and try to relax. Going in and out of my hiding spot always shot fear through my spine. Always made me feel scared and crazy. I take deep breaths in through my nose, releasing them from my mouth. I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm alive.

I hear a splash, waking me up and rooting me to the spot. I hold the cover of the sleeping bag tightly, as if it offers some kind of protection. There's some voices, muffled and distant. How many packs are there? The careers, then another group maybe? More even than that?

"There she is!" a voice shouts.

Its over, they've found me. Wait, no they haven't. They wouldn't be able to see me, their behind the rock and couldn't look in.

A pair of feet run over the top of my rock, land on the floor and run to the trees. Squinting, I can just make out Katniss Everdeen as she runs away. Move feet trample over my rock, following after her. I watch as the careers chase her, swords swinging in their hands, bow and arrows sitting one of their backs.

Glimmer. Glimmer's the girl with the bow and arrows, the one who chased me. If its the careers, I must have been asleep for at least three, maybe four hours. I feel bad as I watch Katniss run for her life, limping slightly, but its not enough to make me get out of my spot and try to help her. Its either me or her, the decision isn't hard.

There's only one face in the sky tonight, the girl from eight. She was the one killed early this morning. Katniss is still alive, she must have escaped somehow; good for her. If I lost this, she deserved to win. Or, at the very least, she could Glimmer and Cato. I really don't like those two.

After eating two slices of my apple and drinking some water, I settle down for the night. It takes me a while to get to sleep because of my rest earlier but it does arrive, eventually.

I'm awoken again by the sound of screaming and running feet. A girl is scream, two boys shouting but there are four pairs of feet that run of my rock and plummet into the river. I hold my breath, what happened? Why are there only four?

There are splashes as they throw themselves about in the water, doing whatever it is they are doing. Then, a pain of feet run over my rock and back towards the trees. Sitting up a little, I watch Peeta Mellark run away.

"That little-!" I hear Cato hiss and the sound of dripping water. "Come on, Glimmer and Magneta are still back there."

"Lover-boy's gone to check on twelve. Make sure she's okay" Clove says.

"He was probably in on it, must have helped her some how" Cato growls. "Probably gave her the knife or the idea or whatever. Freaking tracker jackers."

Tracker jackers?! The genetically engineered wasps? They cause insane pain, hallucinations and, in rare cases, death. The death caused by the insect would be excruciatingly painful, probably one of the worst ways to go. A cannon goes off, then another. Two dead, two people possibly killed by tracker jackers.

Cato runs off after Peeta alone, only to be followed three minutes later by Clove and Marvel. Once their in the trees, I pull myself from my spot and run after them, my knife in hand. As soon as I get to the trees, I change to walking slowly, crouching behind bushes.

Peeta and Cato are shouting at each other, arguing over the incident. "You helped her!"

"No I didn't! If I helped her, would I have stayed there and let myself get stung too?!" Peeta shouts back.

"You needed to make yourself look innocent" Cato spits.

"Why, what's the point?" Peeta asks. "You were going to kill me after finding her anyway." Cato and the others are silent, surprised at his knowledge. "I didn't cause this." "You helped her, gave her time to come up with a plan" Marvel pushes. "Its your fault Glimmer's dead."

"Magneta too" Clove puts in.

I follow where Marvel's pointing, my eyes landing on the body next to him. I can just see from my spot. Glimmer lays dead, her whole body swollen with green, pussy boils. She's no longer the sexy and attractive girl from one, she's the dead, ugly girl now. I suppose beauty doesn't keep you alive.

"Cato!" Clove shouts, gaining my attention.

I turn back to see Cato lunging towards Peeta. Peeta hops to the side, eluding him and backing away. Cato makes towards him again, pushing his sword towards the other tribute. Peeta cries out as the sword digs into the skin of his thigh but refuses to fall down. Using all his strength and bravery, he pulls away while Cato still holds the sword. With a bleeding wound in his thigh, he turns and takes off running towards the river.

Clove makes to go after him but Cato holds out his arm. "Let him go; he won't last long with that leg." he looks down at his arm, growling with annoyance. "Freaking idiot clipped me."

"Its only a cut" Marvel rolls his eyes, prodding the cut on Cato's arm. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Shut up" he hits out at Marvel, chuckling slightly.

The three of them start laughing, shoving each other as they walk away. Laughing, when two tributes just died and one was meant to be your 'friend'? Wow, that's low and sick.

When their out of sight and out of hearing range, I stand up. I walk over to Glimmer's body, my nose scrunching up at the sight of her. Ew. Feeling like a decent human being, I lean down and close her eyes. That's a sign of respect, right? I walk over to the other body which is a few feet closer to the river than Glimmer's body.

There are scratches on Magneta's face, probably from where she was trying to claw the stingers from her face. Her face is worse than Glimmers, green puss everywhere. There's swelling on her eyeball and I lean down for a closer look. Crap! I back away quickly just as they explode, green puss leaking into the sky. Gross.

I look back at Glimmer's body before walking away. The bow and arrows are gone, Katniss must have taken them and ran away. I wonder if the careers had noticed, they didn't seem to have. They really must be idiots.

Walking back towards the river, I can't help but feel a little pleased that Glimmer is dead, which makes me feel sick. I shouldn't be happy she's dead, that's horrible and disgusting. As punishment to myself, I don't eat any apple or drink water when I get back to camp.

Grabbing a few apples, I dance back to the tree line. I jog for a few minutes before slowing to a walk. I take my knife and cut a slice of apple, putting in mouth.

_Boom!_

I'm thrown forward, dropping my knife before I hit the ground. I can't breathe! I sit up, my hands wrapped around my throat as I struggle for air. I'm chocking, I'm chocking on a piece of apple. I shove my fingers into my mouth, pushing them as far as they will go. I can't reach the apple but my fingers makes my gag-reflex kick in.

I half cough, half vomit the apple up. I take deep breath, my sight still fuzzy. Damn, what the hell just happened?! My chest hurts, my throat aches. What a way to die that would have been. I stay on sitting for a few minutes, taking deep breaths in the silence that follows the loud nice.

The sound of the cannon makes me jump. I quickly stand, picking up my knife and running away. I didn't stop running until I got to the river. That when I allowed myself to walk... and that's when I saw him for the first time.

If I wasn't so on edge, I would have never have noticed. Peeta Mellark lay half-hidden under a rock. He camouflaged in perfectly, showing the amazing art skills he has. I stood for a second, just looking at him in amazement. My mouth hang agape with astonishment, its brilliant. He couldn't see me, his eyes eyes closed and caked over.

I step over him, jogging to my cave. I reach in, grabbing one of the many roots I had collected and cooked far away from here. I cut the apple in half, putting one piece in my bag. Holding the root and apple slice, I make my way back to the District twelve boy. I put the food beside his face, covering them with some leaves that were already there. They could only be seen from the angle he's at, meaning no one should find them and him and he would find them upon opening his eyes.

I know I shouldn't be helping him, I know its wrong but I can't help it. Helping people comes naturally to me, it always has done. Though I am the second youngest of my family, I still looked after everyone back home.

I have two older sister, one older brother and one younger sister. My brother is nineteen and had never taken part in the games, lucky for him. My two sister, Atom and Vida, are eighteen and seventeen. Atom will never be picked but Vida still has a chance for next year. My younger sister, Bina, is thirteen years old. The two years she's had her name in the bowl, she's been safe. Hopefully, she'll also be safe in the future.

Thinking about my siblings hurts, it causes a hole in my chest which I hate. I fight it off and struggle back to my spot. I bury my face in the sleep bag and silently cry, letting the pain out in soundless tears. It would be better knowing I volunteered for one of my sisters, like Katniss, but that isn't the case. I was chosen, my names was called out from the slip of paper. I bet none of my sisters, apart from Bina who I made promise not to volunteer, even thought about sparing me. Family ties only goes so far.

I wipe my tears away, take a deep breath and sit up. I eat some root and drink some water before waiting for the anthem of Panem to start. When I does, I watch the sky and wait for the faces of The Fallen. Ryker, the boy from three, appears before the sky goes dark again.

The next day, I spend my time collecting fruit and roots. The big explosion yesterday must have been the bombs around the careers supply, nothing else could do that, and so nothing would be left for me. I avoid the nightlock berries, walking well away from them. They could kill you within a minute of touching your tongue.

After cooking them, I make my back to the river. The cannon sound, signalling another death; its not even one o'clock yet. After a few minutes, another cannon sounds. Two people today; six of us left...

I 'accidentally' drop two roots near the spot where Peeta is staying as I make my way back to camp. Maybe I should stop being so kinds, its going to kill me one of these days. Sooner rather than later I expect.

I spend the rest of the day sleeping and eating, going out once to have a quick wash in the river. As I eat another root with some berries, I can't help but miss the juicy taste of meat. The warmth it brings as it slides down your throat. The juices you get upon putting it in your mouth and biting down. The way your eyes roll to the back of your head in pure joy from the taste.

The anthem starts playing and I lean out of my little hidy-hole. The Capitol symbol comes on, lingering for a minute to gain the attention of the tributes. Soon, The Fallen are shown. Marvel from one and... the little girl from eleven, Rue.

The last I saw of the girl, she was with Katniss Everdeen. I had seen them together while I was out looking for food. Katniss wouldn't have killed her, right? She couldn't have done. The cannon shots were close together; maybe Marvel killed the child and Katniss killed him in return? It had to be something like that, Katniss wouldn't kill twelve-year old Rue.

The pain in my chest from last night comes back, burning again. Rue was only a year younger than Bina... After a few mouthfuls of water, I lay down and close my eyes. Tears leak from under my closed eyelids but I don't try to hide them, I don't care any more.

The games are brutal, animistic, monstrous. People are willing to kill each other, willing to kill children while the population watches; the Capitol cheering for the favourite and 'crying' when they die. I know for the tributes its a kill or be killed situation but still!

What if, one time, every tribute just refused to attack each other? I know it will never happen and I know the games will always be around, but what if?! Would they send things after the tributes, mutts and other crazed things, until only one is left? Would the Capitol kill them all?

"Attention tributes" a voice, Claudius Templesmith, rains over the arena. "Congratulations on making it this far! There has been a slight rule change for this years Hunger Games. Two tributes, if from the same District, can win the games and become Victors; remember: they have to be from the same District."

His voice cuts off and I'm thrown back into silence. Two Victors will be crowned this year. There's Cato and Clove or Katniss and Peeta. I'll side for team twelve. My District partner is dead, he died on the first day; District Five will not have two Victors this year, they may not even have one.

Katniss Everdeen came by a few days ago, looking for her Lover-boy. She found him, hidden in the same place where I had found him before. She took him to a cave where they are now resting up. At first, she didn't seem to comfortable being on the ground but I think she realized she had no way of getting Peeta up a tree. Anyway, I don't need to keep him alive any more, that job has been taken from me now.

Earlier in the morning, a voice had sounded through the arena, letting the tributes know there is going to be a feast today. I hide in the Cornucopia, waiting for the table to rise with the treats on. I feel safe in my spot, though I know I shouldn't. Another tribute could wonder in any second and I'm not the best fighter in Panem.

Slowly, as I watch, a table rises from the grassed floor. When its up, I wait a full thirty seconds before sprinting out. I grab my bag at a running speed and carry on running towards the trees. Just as I get to the tree line, I see Katniss run for her bag out of the corner of my eye.

A few minutes later, I hear a female screaming, I can't make out what's saying though. She goes silent after a minute before the cannon sounds; showing her death. Katniss? I don't stop to wonder, just keep on running towards the safety of my camp. Half-way there, I stop and drink the remains of the water in the bottle. As I pass the stream, I stop for a minute to fill the bottle up.

When I'm safely sitting down, the first thing I do is add the iodine and put the bottle to the side. I open my 'treat bag'. I smile at what I see inside; food, another coat, a pair of socks and some gloves. I put the gloves, socks and coat on right away, sighing at the added warmth; bliss. Unable to stop myself, I eat all the meat, including the dried beef which I've been saving.

That night, Clove's face is in the sky. I couldn't help but shake my head at her smirking photo. She's not smiling now, is she? I wonder how she died... Katniss probably got to her with an arrow; that must have been an epic battle. Katniss with her bow and arrows, Clove with her throwing knives.

I only left my hole to pee yesterday, preferring to stay inside and keep warm in my sleeping bag. There was no deaths yesterday, the arena quiet and the night sky bare. It was nice, knowing no one was killed; maybe that'll happen again tonight.

I snuggle into my sleeping bag as the storm rages on. I'm surprised the water isn't coming inside my spot but I am in no way complaining. I eat my roots, chewing slowly on them and having one sip of water every couple of hours.

The cannon sounds, showing another death. Wishful thinking is useless I guess. I wonder who it is this time; Peeta, Thresh, Katniss, Cato? Wait... there only five... four...of us left. The games are nearly over, the worst is nearly here.

When the anthem starts, I lean out a little, careful not to get wet, and watch the sky. I expect Peeta but my mouth drops open when I see Thresh. How? Did he die in the storm? Was he killed by another tribute? The only tribute that would go after him would be Cato, he's the craziest one out of the tributes left.

Cato will probably kill Peeta, leaving him and Katniss to fight it out. I have no chance. The big final act is coming soon, its going to be worse than the storm and I won't survive it; I just know it. There's nothing left for me, I know there's no chance. I'm going to die either but the storm or at Cato's hands. I know it would be Cato, he would find me first and just go for the kill.

I follow Peeta, watch as he picks the berries. They're nightlock. Maybe I should let him eat them, his death would be painless then. Yes, I'll let him do that. After he's moved on, I grab a handful of the berries. I'm going to die anyway, I might as well go out the most painless way. And at least no one will have the satisfaction of saying they killed me.

I lift my hand to my mouth, pushing a berry between my lips. Closing my eyes, I bite down. The juices swim out and I swallow them. There's no going back now. My sight gets fuzzy, my throat thick. I fall to the ground as my chest burns. Painless? Yeah, I was wrong. As I cough, my mind fills of images of my family. I'll never see them again, I'll never tell them how much I love them.

My vision goes dark and somewhere, in the distance, I hear a cannon. Is that for me?

**I hope you noticed the sections got smaller as it got closer to her death; it wasn't because I got bored of writing, it was on purpose!**

**Magneta: Mag-Knee-ta**

**I was going to have it Beta-readed but no beta reader got back to me... so yeah. **

**Hope you enjoyed, leave a review :)**


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